Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Does reading eighth note rhythm notation give you fits? (Or do your students struggle with eighth notes?) Many musicians have trouble reading rhythm, especially ADD, ASD, LD, and special needs students. Read more to learn color coded eighth note clapping.
This post uses musical terms. See the definition links in the Glossary at the end of the article.
Video: How Effective is Color Coding the Rhythm?
Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping: Reviewing the Meaning of “Level of Rhythm”
Despite having the name, Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping, you’ll clap other note values as well. When we say, “the eighth note level of rhythm,” it means that the shortest note will be the eighth note.
Nonetheless, you will perform quarter, half, and whole notes in addition to eighth notes. The biggest difference between the quarter and eighth note levels of rhythm has to do with how you count them.
Related:
How Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping Works
In 4/4 time, we have four beats per bar and the quarter note has one beat. This means that you have four quarter notes per measure. However, when we add eighth notes, we will instead have eight notes per measure. (Thus, why we call them quarter and eighth notes, though the names only work in 4/4.)
Each quarter note gets a counting number (1 2 3 4), thus showing the order of the beats in the bar. However, eighth notes double the number of notes. This means we need a way to count the extra notes in each measure. We do this by adding “+” signs above the notes that are off of the beat.
We call the “+” sign an “and.” Traditionally, you count each number and “and” in sequence while clapping the rhythm. You use the shape of the note to determine how long to hold it. Also traditionally, many students struggle mightily with this system of counting.
In Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping, I’ve color coded the counting numbers (including the “ands”) to help students better perform the rhythm.
This is how it works:
- Red = clap
- Blue = don’t clap
The Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping Exercise
As you perform the color coded eighth note clapping exercise, count the numbers out loud as you clap. Clap when saying the red numbers or “ands,” and don’t clap when saying the blue numbers or “ands.”
In addition, I’ve given you a soundtrack that shows you how the rhythm sounds. DON’T play the track before you clap the exercise below. Rather, use the soundtrack to check your rhythm after you’ve done the exercise.
Be sure to pay attention to the shape of the note and how many counts it gets:
- Eighth note: 1/2 beat long = black stem, notehead, and a beam or flag
- Quarter note: 1 beat long = black stem and notehead
- Half note: 2 beats long = black stem with a white notehead
- Whole note: 4 beats long = white notehead without the stem
Once you’ve mastered The Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping Exercise, do the quiz.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music examples, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
The Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping Exercise:
The Quiz for Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping
Conclusion
As you perform the color coded eighth note clapping, you will see that it simplifies the amount of information you need to process. This in turn makes it easier to accurately execute the rhythm.
Any musician will benefit from this approach to rhythm. However, it is a vital multisensory strategy for teaching autistic, LD, and other special needs students.
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
What’s the Basic Difference Between Drop C and Drop D?
Are you interested in guitar alternate tunings? Do you want to know the difference between Drop C and Drop D? In many ways Drop D and Drop C are very similar. However, there are a couple of important differences. Keep reading “What’s the Basic Difference Between Drop C and Drop D Tunings?” to learn what the differences are and how they impact your playing. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
How to Teach Music to Neurodivergent Students
Are you a teacher with neurodiverse students? Do you need suggestions for how to best teach them? Neurodivergent and neurodiverse are non-medical terms that refer to people with non-traditional ways of thinking and learning (e.g., ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, etc.). It attempts to give dignity to individuals by looking at the whole person and avoids looking at them as a problem that needs to be fixed. Having said that, neurodiverse students will often need special teaching methods to have success in music. Keep reading “How to Teach Music to Neurodivergent Students” to learn more. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
Is There Any Method to Help with Writing Descriptions?
“When I write, my descriptions seem lifeless. Is there any method to help with writing descriptions?” When it comes to creating vibrant descriptions in your writing (or songwriting), there's a powerful method that can make a world of difference. You need to avoid static descriptions. You do this by using action words. Keep reading to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
Success Music Studio Has Been Blogging for 600 Days
Today marks a milestone for me: 600 days of blogging “The Successful Music Student!” If you want to read or sight sing music, sing in tune, write better songs, or finally get your guitar or keyboard in tune, the blog has just what you need. Estimated reading time 1 minute.
Read More